General Information
The scientific name of the Great Hairy Willow Herb or Codlins and Cream is Epilobium hirsutum.1 It is a plant that has purple flowers with four petals on each flower.1 It can grow up to 6 feet tall.2 It has tiny furs all over its stem. That is where the term hairy comes from. It originated from Eurasia and North Africa.2
Detailed Description
Hairy willow herb falls into the category of perennial, spreading by seed and rhizomes. It flowers after 10-12 weeks of growth, usually in July and August. It can self-pollinate, but less seeds are made when it self-pollinates.2 After a month or month and a half, seeds spread through the wind.1 The base of the stem has axillary buds. Those buds produce stolons, the stolons make roots appear. Those roots start a new plant. The organisms’ energy source, like most plants, is the sun.2 It is a producer. The organism is successful in its new environment, because its very thick roots block other plants from growing through it.1 Because the roots are how it is spread; it easily takes over whole areas.2
Habitat and Distribution
This organism came from Eurasia and North Africa. In its original country it is found in wetlands, on the banks of streams, and anywhere the soil is very moist.1 The environmental conditions are the same as they are here.3 The species got here when the first settlers were coming to the United States.1 It traveled along in a boat and when they got here, it somehow spread from the boat to the land and started to grow. The first reported incident of the species in the United States was when they were putting in railroad tracks it was growing on the moist land where they were setting the rails. This organism is all over the east coast but quickly spreading westward.2
This is where you can find it in the USA.
Impacts
So far there have been no reported effects to the ecosystem, either negative or positive. Right now there is no hybridization with our native species.3 The only impacts that the plant has on humans is that it takes over our gardens.1
Control Measures
Right now there are no active control measures because so far we have found no negative effects on the ecosystem.1
Works Cited
Cao, Ling. “Epilobium hirsutum L.” Nonindiginous Aquatic Species. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2009. <http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=2678>.
Hamel, Kathy. “Hairy Willow-Herb (Epilobium hirsutum) .” Non-native Invasive Freshwater Plants. Washington State Department of Ecology, n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2009. <http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/plants/weeds/willowherb.html>.
Matthei, Oscar, et al. “Plant Invasions on an Oceanic Archipelago.” Biological Invasions 4.1 (2002): 73-85. Web. 4 Dec. 2009. <http://www.springerlink.com/content/w47657p8u8636286/>.
Epilobium Hirsutum
General InformationThe scientific name of the Great Hairy Willow Herb or Codlins and Cream is Epilobium hirsutum.1 It is a plant that has purple flowers with four petals on each flower.1 It can grow up to 6 feet tall.2 It has tiny furs all over its stem. That is where the term hairy comes from. It originated from Eurasia and North Africa.2
Detailed Description
Hairy willow herb falls into the category of perennial, spreading by seed and rhizomes. It flowers after 10-12 weeks of growth, usually in July and August. It can self-pollinate, but less seeds are made when it self-pollinates.2 After a month or month and a half, seeds spread through the wind.1 The base of the stem has axillary buds. Those buds produce stolons, the stolons make roots appear. Those roots start a new plant. The organisms’ energy source, like most plants, is the sun.2 It is a producer. The organism is successful in its new environment, because its very thick roots block other plants from growing through it.1 Because the roots are how it is spread; it easily takes over whole areas.2
Habitat and Distribution
This organism came from Eurasia and North Africa. In its original country it is found in wetlands, on the banks of streams, and anywhere the soil is very moist.1 The environmental conditions are the same as they are here.3 The species got here when the first settlers were coming to the United States.1 It traveled along in a boat and when they got here, it somehow spread from the boat to the land and started to grow. The first reported incident of the species in the United States was when they were putting in railroad tracks it was growing on the moist land where they were setting the rails. This organism is all over the east coast but quickly spreading westward.2
Impacts
So far there have been no reported effects to the ecosystem, either negative or positive. Right now there is no hybridization with our native species.3 The only impacts that the plant has on humans is that it takes over our gardens.1
Control Measures
Right now there are no active control measures because so far we have found no negative effects on the ecosystem.1
Works Cited
Cao, Ling. “Epilobium hirsutum L.” Nonindiginous Aquatic Species. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2009. <http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=2678>.
Hamel, Kathy. “Hairy Willow-Herb (Epilobium hirsutum) .” Non-native Invasive Freshwater Plants. Washington State Department of Ecology, n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2009. <http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/plants/weeds/willowherb.html>.
Matthei, Oscar, et al. “Plant Invasions on an Oceanic Archipelago.” Biological Invasions 4.1 (2002): 73-85. Web. 4 Dec. 2009. <http://www.springerlink.com/content/w47657p8u8636286/>.